Something More
by Cheeseburger of Doom
Summary: [Warlords 14] Hiyoshi's backstory.


A/N: Same warnings apply for this as all other Warlords fics -- violence, character death(s), AU, etc. etc. I wasn't going to write anymore in this serious, but I got a request for Hiyoshi's story, and so here it is.

Warlords #14 -- Something More

Hiyoshi did not remember his parents very well. They had both died when he was five years old, in one of the gang fights. The only thing about them left in his memory was the feel of his father's hand on his wrist, squeezing -- and the sound of his father's voice when he'd said, just before he went to his death, "Become something more."

Hiyoshi was left mostly to himself throughout his childhood. The leader always made sure he was fed, but anything past that was all up to him. No one wanted to take him in, the burden that had been left behind by the two gang members that no one missed.

-----

Hiyoshi's parents were the two members of the gang that no one else could stand. They were very weak fighters, but had acted as if they were strong; they'd often caused trouble for everyone else by doing rash things. They had always refused to follow the leader's orders, and sometimes the consequences of that had been disastrous -- such as on the night that they had died.

Hiyoshi did not know any of that, not at first. All he knew was that they were his parents, and he must do what they said. When his father did not return from that fight, he decided that he had to become something greater.

-----

"Why doesn't anyone take care of Hiyoshi?"

Inui was the leader's favorite, and the leader took very good care of him. The leader treated little Inui like a son.

Hiyoshi hated Inui for that, sometimes. He was very independent, he didn't need anyone, he could fend for himself -- but when the leader ruffled Inui's hair, or smiled at him, Hiyoshi was filled with resentment.

"Hiyoshi can take care of himself," the leader replied. "If he turns out to be anything like his parents, then I really don't want anything to do with him."

"What were his parents like?"

"Useless. They were weak, but they acted liked the best fighters we had. They questioned my authority, but they didn't have enough power to take leadership from me."

"That's not their son's fault," Inui said.

"I already have one kid, I can't handle anymore," the leader said. "Would you rather I throw you out, and take him in?"

"I think he might need you more than I do," Inui said.

"Stop pretending to be wise, kid. It doesn't suit you."

When Inui walked by and realized that Hiyoshi had been there all along, their eyes met.

In that moment, Hiyoshi learned to hate Inui even more.

"I don't need your pity," he said.

-----

Hiyoshi learned to hate his parents.

They had been weak -- he would not be weak. He would become something more, not because his father had asked it of him, but because he wanted to prove himself to the gang. They treated him as a burden -- he would show them.

He would show Inui, who pitied him, that he was better than anyone.

-----

Hiyoshi learned to kill at a young age. He became one of the most valuable fighters that the gang had. In a fight, he was very useful -- and he knew it. He was pleased with his efforts, and pleased that he was not like his parents.

He was angry when he discovered that Inui was a better fighter than he was. Inui hated fighting, but he had been trained by the leader -- and the leader made him fight. Inui became better than Hiyoshi, even though he started later.

Hiyoshi hated Inui more than he hated anyone else.

-----

Hiyoshi was not surprised when Inui was made the next leader, but that did not stop him from being angry. He would have been a better leader for the gang. He did not have any illusions about pacifism, and living peacefully. He knew that it was kill or be killed; he'd known that ever since he was five years old, and his father had gripped his wrist and told him to become something more.

Hiyoshi swore he would become leader of the gang one day. He had to beat Inui first, though, and Inui was better than he was --

Well, he could do something about that. He was independent, he was strong, and he could train himself to become stronger.

-----

There was one person that Hiyoshi hated almost as much as Inui, and that was Inui's second.

Kaido was Inui's favorite, probably because he shared the same stupid views about peace. They both wanted the fighting to end -- which was pure nonsense. How could the fighting end? It wouldn't end until the final battle had been fought, and one of the gangs came out the leader.

That battle would come one day, he knew; he knew because the gangs kept getting smaller, and smaller. One day there would be only one gang left --

--and it would be his gang. He would lead them to victory.

Hiyoshi hated Kaido because Kaido was so dear to Inui. It was obvious from the way those two acted that they were "in love" -- whatever that meant. Hiyoshi couldn't stand it.

No one had ever loved him.

Hiyoshi harassed Kaido whenever he got the chance, but Kaido never showed any kind of reaction. Kaido never seemed to care.

Kaido would be very sorry when Hiyoshi was the leader. Very, very sorry.

-----

Hiyoshi knew that no one liked him, but he did not particularly care. Once he was their leader, they would have no chance but to follow him, whether they liked it or not.

He was better at fighting than anyone in the gang, save for Inui, so he would be able to protect his leadership.

He would become the gang leader, no matter what he had to do. No matter how much training it took, he would beat Inui.

-----

Hiyoshi had been ready for weeks, but he was waiting for the right opportunity. He watched Inui day and night, and finally found his chance. It was one of the rare times that Inui was alone, early in the morning while Kaido still slept. They usually rose together, but today was the exception.

He watched Inui leave the building, and wander for a bit -- and then he made his presence known.

"Inui!"

"Yes, Hiyoshi? You've been following me for a while, now. What is it that you want?"

"I hate you." Hiyoshi had never said it out loud before.

"I know you do. I don't know why, though."

"You're a bad leader."

"You hated me before I was the leader."

"You had the nerve to pity me!" Hiyoshi spat. "I don't need anyone's pity!"

"I wanted to help you --"

"I don't need anyone's help, either! My parents may have been useless, but I won't be. I refuse to be! Fight me now, Inui, and we'll see who the leader is when it's over!"

"I don't want to fight you --" Inui began, but Hiyoshi was already on him, with a fury so intense that it blinded him.

He hated Inui. He had always hated Inui, because Inui's was the leader's baby, the leader's chosen -- the one the leader had cared about. Inui was the one who had become the new leader. Inui had everything that Hiyoshi had always wanted -- and he was even a little bit happy, since he had Kaido.

Hiyoshi had nothing but a memory of a harsh grip on his wrist, and the voice of the father whose face he couldn't even remember.

The look on Inui's face as he died was something that Hiyoshi would never forget. It was a look of shock, and a look of pity.

"I'm sorry," were Inui's last words.

Hiyoshi beat Inui's dead body for a long time after the life left it. He didn't want anyone's pity; he didn't want the last thing that his most hated person had said to be an apology.

----

Hiyoshi dragged Inui's corpse back to the abandoned building the gang lived in, and dropped it in front of Kaido's room. He went to get the other gang members, and prove his leadership.

He made them wait with him, by Inui's body; wait for Kaido to wake up, so that he could prove to Kaido that he had become something more.

He had fulfilled his father's wishes. The useless bastard should be proud, now.

-----


End file.
